Last Updated on September 10, 2026 by Nadia Halfway

📜 Introduction.

After spending 1 month in China, travelling to both big cities and small towns, I can definitely say that Shanghai is the most international city in China.

The city mixes neon lights, ancient streets, incredible food, and endless surprises. Moreover, you can find a lot of group activities to join with other international travellers, with English-speaking coordinators, such as food and city tours, pub crawls, tea ceremonies, etc.

I loved every single moment here, and I can’t wait to tell you everything. In this post, I share with you how to really enjoy Shanghai, the most international city in China, in just 5 days.

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Day 1: Skyscrapers and Neon Lights.

I started my trip with a comfortable high-speed train from Shangrao to Shanghai Hongqiao coming from Wangxian Valley. The journey lasted more or less 2 hours and 50 minutes.

I reached my hostel around mid-afternoon, dropped my backpack, freshened up, and began my exploration.

My first Shanghai experience started strong: a visit to the Lujiazui District. The futuristic skyline around me looked unreal. I did not go up the Oriental Pearl Tower because it is a bit pricey, so I wandered around the area enjoying the night lights.

• h 11.10 – Train from Shangrao to Shanghai (Hogqiiao)
• h 14.00 – Arrival in Shanghai
• h 17.00 – Explore Lujiazui District
• h 18.30 – Visit the Oriental Pearl Tower
• h 20.00 – Dinner

Day 2: A Day and Night of Group Activities

On the second day, I woke up early and went to visit the so-called “Chinese Venice”: Suzhou, located only 45 minutes away by high-speed train.

Suzhou welcomed me with quiet canals, ancient bridges, and elegant classical gardens. The atmosphere felt peaceful and slow, a perfect contrast to Shanghai’s intense and futuristic energy. It gave me the break I didn’t know I needed.

I got back around 4 PM to join a super fun homemade dumpling cooking class. The coordinator is a lovely young woman who recently opened her business, and her mom helps her show how to make the dough and shape the dumplings. We were four people, and after cooking we ate our own dumplings, plus other traditional Chinese dishes that the mom prepared for us.

Since I considered that a full dinner, I went straight to my hostel to freshen up and then joined a pub crawl. I met travellers from all over the world, including a young guy (around 20 years old) from Germany with Type 1 Diabetes. He recognised me by my sensor and approached me with the famouse question “Are you Diabetic?”. He was a bit scared of drinking since he was recently diagnosed with T1D, and alcoholic drinks can impact glycaemia. However, since I have grown up with diabetes, I learned what I should drink and which spirits and alcoholic drinks I should avoid. It was a fun night, and I danced until late (too late) with a group of Spaniards. We hopped through three bars and ended up in a club that surprisingly played only Latin American music.

• h 08.00 – Train to Suzhou
• h 09.00 – Explore Suzhou Town
• h 14.30 – Train back to Shanghai
• h 16.00 – Cooking class
• h 21.00 – Pub Crawl

Day 3: French Concession and Food Tour.

The hangover hit me a bit hard, so I spent the morning sleeping. I don’t usually drink too much when I travel alone, since you never know what could happen. However, this was a sort of exception, as it was an official pub crawl, there were many women in the group, the vibes were comfortable (no creeps around), and I could easily go back to the hostel by taxi. Nevertheless, if you joined a pub crawl and felt something strange, be careful and leave. I suggest you to take a look at my Ultimate Guide to Solo Female Travel Safety.

Anyway, at 3 PM, I joined a French Concession walking tour with GuruWalk. The guide explained all the history behind the French occupation of Shanghai, and he was great at it. I loved the colonial houses and leafy streets of a completely different side of Shanghai.

At 6 PM, I then took part in a food tour, also with GuruWalk and with the same tour guide. I tried amazing dishes I had never heard of before and the tastiest dumplings I have eaten in the past month in China. The guide also brought us to a typical restaurant where the most iconic dish is Scallion Oil Noodles, eaten with lots of side dishes such as vegetables, tofu and… pork kidney and liver.

We continued the tour in another place to have dessert. To be honest, I am not a fan of Asian desserts, they tend to be lighter and less sweet than what I’m used to, consisting mainly on rice, sugar, and coconut milk. But they’re definitely worth trying if you are a foodie traveller who loves trying new dishes on a trip.

• h 15.00 – Free walking tour at the French Concession
• h 18.00 – Food tour

Day 4: A Day to Relax.

After carrying 25 kg split between my backpack and my front rucksack, I decided to try an acupuncture treatment on my back and neck.

Following a lot of research before my departure, I booked an appointment at Body & Soul (in the Huangpu District), a Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic with an English-speaking doctor. They offered me a package that included a first medical consultation and one acupuncture session for ¥1299 (about €160). The doctor asked me several questions about my health, habits, and conditions, then she proceeded with the acupuncture treatment. It was not painful at all, but with just one session I cannot confirm whether it was very effective or beneficial.

I then headed out for lunch and explored People’s Square. Later on, I took the metro to stroll along The Bund at sunset and then walked back to my hostel, passing through East Nanjing Road.

• h 10.00 – Acupuncture treatment
• h 13.00 – Lunch
• h 15.00 – Explore People’s Square
• h 16.30 – Stroll along The Bund
• h 19.00 – Walk in East Nanjing Road

Day 5: Last Day in China.

I have this habit every time I travel abroad for a consistent amount of time: to get a tattoo. I love collecting tattoos during my trips or long stays abroad. They keep my memories alive and carry their own meaning.

After researching some tattoo studios on Amap (the Chinese mapping app) with good ratings and reviews, I went straight to the studio. The tattoo artist was young and spoke a little bit of English. He did a great job on my panda–yin-yang tattoos and he was very professional. Just so you know, I didn’t book it in advance. Another day, when I had some spare time, I went to another studio that was closed. I contacted the artist via WeChat, but he said he needed an hour to come. These studios are usually apartments set up as professional studios inside housing buildings. The same thing happened when I went to do my nails. I ended up in an apartment inside a building and had to text beautician on WeChat to assist me.

Anyway, after my tattoo, I spent my last day visiting Yu Garden, and exploring Shanghai Old Street and Yuyuan Old Street.

Walking through the streets of Yuyuan, I ended up in a little tea shop to buy a Chinese tea set. The lady invited me to visit the upstairs floor. It was a pleasant surprise! There you can find a nice art gallery and a small balcony with a view of the garden. She also performed a tea ceremony for me and let me taste several Chinese teas to decide which one to buy. The place is called Yyuan Gallery: you can simply walk-in or book the experience via Trip.com.

Finally, I went back to my hostel to pick up my stuff and went to the airport to go back to Italy.

• h 10.00 – Tattoo
• h 13.00 – Lunch
• h 14.00 – Visit to Yu Garden
• h 16.30 – Wander around Shanghai old street, and Yuyuan Old Street
• h 19.00 – Back to hostel to collect my belongings
• h 22.10 – Flight Back to Bari (Shanghai – Chongqing – Budapest – Bari!)

🛏️ Where to Stay in Shanghai.

I stayed for 4 nights in Shanghai at Dayin International Youth Hostel in a female-only shared room. I paid only €95, thanks also to a discount of €34.84 in Trip Coins I had earned during my past stays with Trip.com. Otherwise, the price would have been higher, but this hostel was the cheapest accommodation I found in Shanghai.

It is a proper social hostel, with a bar and lots of international backpackers. Breakfast is included, and you can choose from the set menus what to eat. Place is clean and safe, there are enough toilets and showers in each floor. Moreover, there is a small soundproof room available for making calls if you need some privacy.

🎁Use the referral code below or register via Trip.com to unlock your €10 discount🎁

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🔽 If you’d prefer the comfort of a hotel, you can explore plenty of options in Shanghai using the map below 🔽

🍜 What to Eat in Shanghai.

I absolutely loved everything I ate in Shanghai. What really stood out were the Xiao Long Bao filled with rich pork broth at Fuchun, a legendary institution dating back to 1885, delicate, steaming dumplings that burst with flavour at the first bite. I also still think about the fried chicken curry I grabbed at People’s Square Station (Exit 9), comforting, spicy, and far better than you’d expect from a station meal. The waiter, a funny old men, saw me struggling with the sticks and handed me a real fork! And then there was the lunch at Khan Baba Restaurant, a Pakistani place near my hostel, where the aromas of grilled meat and warm spices filled the air and the food tasted homemade.

🎫 Where to Buy Tickets.

I booked the French Concession city tour through GuruWalk, but since the website doesn’t allow you to reserve two tours on the same day when they’re close in time (and because the food tour was run by the same guide), I messaged him directly to ask if I could join the food tour right after the French Concession walk. He kindly agreed.

Nevertheless, if you are interested only in the food tour, you can find it on GuruWalk as well.

As I explain in my post Best Travel Websites for Finding Free City Tours, GuruWalk tours are tip-based, so you simply tip the guide at your own discretion at the end.

You can purchase entrances for the Oriental Pearl Tower, Yu Garden and other places like Disneyland either at the ticket office on site or through third-party platforms such as Klook.com and Viator. For the Oriental Pearl Tower specifically, prices vary depending on the experience you choose, for example, if you include the river cruise, dinner, or access to additional sections of the tower.

🎁 Subscribe via Klook.com to receive €5 off your next booking 🎁

I booked both my cooking class and the pub crawl on GetYourGuide. For the cooking class, I secured my spot by paying just €6 on the platform, and then tip at the end around ¥400 (roughly €50). However, they have recently increased the price up to €70! It is still quite reasonable considering how expensive cooking classes in China usually are. Instead, the pub crawl costs €25 and includes one drink at each bar and at the club, although you can always buy extra drinks if you want. On GetYourGuide you can find a lot of other group activities like these.

🚆 How to Get to Shanghai.

Shanghai is one of the best-connected cities in China and one of the easiest to reach from abroad.

The city has two airports. Pudong International Airport (PVG) is the main international hub and the larger of the two, located about 40 km east of the city centre. It handles the majority of long-haul and international flights, including direct connections from Europe, North America, the Middle East and across Asia. If you are flying to Shanghai from outside China, this is almost certainly where you will land. Hongqiao Airport (SHA), on the western side of the city, handles mainly domestic routes and some short-haul regional flights.

From Pudong Airport, the fastest way into the city is the Maglev train: a magnetic levitation train that reaches speeds of up to 430 km/h and covers the 30 km to Longyang Road Station in just 8 minutes. From there, you connect to the metro for the rest of the journey. Alternatively, metro line 2 runs directly from the airport to the city centre, taking around 50 minutes.

If you are already travelling within China, Shanghai is extremely well served by the high-speed rail network. From Beijing, the journey takes approximately 4.5 hours on the fastest trains: comfortable, affordable and far more convenient than flying once you factor in airport time. The city is also directly connected by high-speed train to Nanjing, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Chengdu, Xi’an and most other major Chinese cities. Trains arrive at either Shanghai Hongqiao Station (west of the city, also connected to Hongqiao Airport) or Shanghai Railway Station in the city centre.

💡 Travel Tips.

As I mention in my article 4 Days in Beijing: a City Between Tradition and Modernity, if you’re planning a trip to China, it’s often best to start your journey in Shanghai. The city is far more international and easier to navigate, so the culture shock will be milder compared to Beijing.

Set up your phone before arriving in Shanghai. Google, Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook and most apps are blocked in China. Download and activate a reliable VPN on your phone before you land. Moreover, China is almost entirely cashless, and many small vendors and local shops do not accept international cards. Set up WeChat Pay and Alipay apps before landing and link them to your credit card for payment, purchasing bus and metro tickets and ordering a Didi taxi.

The Shanghai metro is fantastic. With over 20 lines covering every corner of the city, it is fast, clean, cheap and fully signposted in English.

If you plan to visit Yu Garden, bear in mind it closes at 5 PM and gets extremely crowded by mid-morning. Arrive as early as possible, ideally right when it opens, to enjoy it at its most peaceful.

Finally, book the cooking class and pub crawl in advance. Both sell out regularly, especially on weekends. GetYourGuide is the most straightforward platform for both.

❓ FAQ.

🎈 Conclusion.

Shanghai is not just a place you visit: it’s a place you experience. 5 days in the most international city in China were just enough to scratch the surface of a city that never stops reinventing itself. From futuristic skylines to ancient gardens, from street food stalls to hidden tea houses, Shanghai is a place where contrasts coexist effortlessly. It is a destination worth exploring at your own pace: one bite at a time.

If you’re considering visiting China for the first time, let Shanghai be your starting point. You might just fall in love with it as I did.

This itinerary to Shanghai brings my series of articles on my one month trip across China to a close (for now). It was an incredible experience, with its share of challenges but also some truly intense moments. A journey through incredible places, futuristic cities, surreal landscapes and delicious food. If I could, I’d set off again today, but it’s time to start a new chapter. Don’t miss my series of itineraries on 2 Months in Thailand: a Journey across the Land of Smiles.

💬 And you? Would you start your itinerary in Beijing or in Shanghai? Tell me in the comments!

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